Are you Alice?
by Rayvenwitch
Summary: Taken to Underland by a man calling himself the White Rabbit, Alice Liddell is abandoned and left to fend for herself, in a world where some people want her dead, and others keep questioning whether she's even the right Alice. All Alice really knows is that she wants to wake up from this dream... but if she's dreaming... why does she feel pain?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hello lovelies!  
** **I'm going to try and not bore you with a novel length author's note, since I bent a good chunk of people are going to skip right over this to get to the good stuff (and I don't blame you if you do).**

 **A bit of background for this story before I let you go - Yes, this is Alice in Wonderland - the note is that this story intermixes a lot of different canons into it. Bits of the book, bits of the movie, bits of other media ideas etc.**

 **Final note: I don't write about animals unless they are cute fluffy cats or it's for humor... so everyone is human unless stated otherwise.**

 **ENJOY!**

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Are you Alice?

Chapter one

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Lottie had been married for two years already. Alice mused over this as she stuck the end of her pen into her mouth, chewing on it thoughtfully. Two years and she was expecting her first child in four months.

They had started exchanging letters when Lottie moved out to the countryside and phone calls began to distort and become difficult at the best of times, near impossible for most of it. Alice loved the letters from her sister and treasured them, but they weren't nearly as good as having the real person with her.

When their father passed away, Lottie was the one who had stepped so easily into the role of mother for her two little sisters. Their actual mother had fallen to pieces, and Lottie was the only one able to pick up the shards without cutting herself in the process.

Charlotte was beautiful in a classic way. Her hair was a darker shade of blonde than Alice's was, and her eyes were more green, but it was her face that Alice loved the best. She was a beautiful woman, and her gentle personality was warm and welcoming to everyone who met her.

It hadn't surprised Alice one bit when Roderick came into the picture. Her sister was a woman that men looked at and saw how perfect a wife she was going to be. Alice doubted there was ever a time when her sister caused mischief and trouble…

Unlike Alice who was now on first name terms with the staff at the school office.

Alice tossed the pen down on her desk and pushed the chair back. There wasn't much Alice could tell Lottie in a letter, not without worrying her.

Their mom was still the same as she ever was, barely functioning half the time even though she could put on a good mask when it was really needed. Alice was getting into more trouble than she ever meant to, and none of it was on purpose, trouble just seemed to find her no matter where she went or what she did.

It wasn't her fault that she didn't get along with any of the kids in her school, and most of them treated her like she was different anyway.

Alice walked over to the bench in front of her window and sat down, staring out across the garden for a moment. Spring was her favor season, and the flowers outside her window were in full bloom. She pushed the window up and smiled as the warm air came in, along with the various scents of life from outside.

She picked up the book she'd discarded earlier and smiled at the cover. Lottie had sent it in the last care package, laughing that she'd found a copy of it after all these years.

Alice's adventures in Wonderland.

Alice touched the title with her fingers, smiling faintly at it. Inside, Lottie had written her a brief message, teasing her about being named after such an airheaded little girl.

If she had been younger, the book would have thrilled her to no end, but she was no longer a child. At seventeen, Alice wondered if she wasn't too old to be reading stories like this. She opened to book to the page she had left off at and smiled.

"Your hair wants cutting," said the Hatter.

"Personal remarks should be avoided," The March Hare chided.

Alice folded her hands beneath her chin and smiled at the duo, wondering when the hare had become a man, and why his ears were such a fantastic shade of teal. His mismatched eyes drifted towards her for a moment, a playful gleam in them as he leaned across the table, pushing a plate of sweets in her direction.

"You're far too skinny, Alice, eat something."

"Indeed," The Hatter agreed as he pushed another plate of sweets towards her. "And do something about your hair, please… it's looking worse than Mallymkun's hair!"

"My hair is fine, your face is the thing that needs fixing." A sleepy voice said from the other side of the table.

Alice looked over the pots of steaming tea, catching sight of a young woman asleep at the table, her head resting on top of her arms. She wore a red coat that stood out in sharp contrast to her pale skin and white hair.

"Don't mind her," The Hatter told her, "She's working too much lately and needs to catch up on sleep."

"Indeed," The March Hare smiled fondly as he reached over and touched the top of her head. "She needs her rest."

"Alice… are you coming home soon?"

Alice blinked, dropping the book. It fell to the floor with a loud banging sound, her breath catching in her throat, sounding somewhere between a gasp and a moan as she doubled over, clutching at her head. Agony ripped through her skull as she fell off the bench and onto the floor; forehead pressed to the cool wood.

For a moment, the scene had felt so real. She could smell the tea, and hear their voices. The touch of the March Hare's hand when it brushed hers as she took the plate from him, and the way the Hatter had looked at her like she was his everything.

Alice whimpered as she crawled across the floor, stopping only once she reached her bed. It took was seemed like hours to pull herself up and fall forward onto the bed. She yanked the blanket up around her and squeezed her eyes shut against the blinding pain.

Time passed, Alice couldn't really be sure how much. The ache inside her head gradually faded away, leaving her feeling drained and exhausted. The light outside the window had changed, and through the curtains she could see a sky the color of blood.

The red clouds seemed altogether ominous to her and she rolled over onto her other side to avoid looking. The shadows in her room grew longer as the light faded away, until all the remained was the small crack of light coming from beneath her bedroom door.

She could hear the sound of pots and pans in the kitchen, intermixed with her mom's sing song voice as she talked to thin air about things that likely never happened.

No matter how close Alice thought her mom had come to recovering, there were still aspects like this that made her painfully aware of how long the road really was.

"Sometimes people never get better," A voice whispered in the darkness, seemingly from right above her ear.

Alice lashed out without thinking, her arm swatting at the empty air as she scrambled over to the other side of her bed, reaching for the light on her nightstand.

Her fingers fumbled along until they found the switch, but even the soft white light did little to ease the unease she felt as she looked around her empty bedroom.

Maybe her mom wasn't the only mad person in the house, maybe she was going mad, too?

"Here's a secret, Alice, the best people are mad."

Alice snapped her eyes closed, refusing to look over her shoulder towards the other side of the bed, the side that had been empty only seconds ago.

"What's wrong?" The voice asked again, "Are you afraid of me?"

Alice shook her head. "You aren't real, so I can't be afraid." She answered, hating herself a little more the moment the words were out of her mouth.

"Ah," The voice laughed, a rich sound. "Well, who decides what is and isn't real, Alice?"

Alice cracked one eye open and caught side of a person standing there. She could see the black and white pattern on his pants, and the white coat he wore, along with a waistcoat. Her eyes opened more, and were drawn to the chain hanging from the pocket of his waistcoat.

As if sensing her interested, a gloved hand reached down and retrieved the silver pocket watch from inside, extending it towards her.

"Time is an important part of life," He said quietly. "We're all on a schedule whether we wish it or not… even you, Alice."

Alice lifted her gaze, meeting a pair of rose colored eyes, set in a face that was caught somewhere between pretty and handsome. His hair was white as snow, and his skin pale, but it was the pair of white rabbit ears on the top of his head that made her freeze up.

"What…" Alice trailed off, too stunned to think.

The man's ears twitched forward slightly, his nose wrinkling. "What am I?" He finished, "I'm the White Rabbit." He bowed to her.

"From the story?" Alice glanced towards the book she'd dropped earlier, his gaze followed hers and a bright smile formed over his lips.

"Ah, I forget how each world has their own version…" The man smiled and shook his head, "Yes and No, I am like but unlike the rabbit in the story. For one thing, I am a man… mostly." He reached up and tugged the end of one of his rabbit ears, "Some traits cannot be helped."

"And the other?"

"And for the other thing, My name is Nivens." He smiled again, a bright and happy sort of smile. "My name is Nivens and you are Alice, yes?"

"Yes… Alice Liddell," she answered quietly.

"Named after the girl in the book?" Nivens inquired.

"So I'm told."

"That makes it easier, there's no room for error when the names match so well." He rubbed at his chin thoughtfully. "I was worried I'd made a mistake again, but there can be no doubt. You are the right Alice this time."

"The right Alice?" Alice blinked at him as he sat down on the edge of her bed, extending his hand towards her.

"Yes, the right Alice. You are exactly who I've been looking for, Alice." His voice was softer now as he wiggled his fingers. "Come on, I want to show you something."

Alice stared at his offered hand. "This can't be real…" she breathed.

"If believing it's a dream will help, than believe you are dreaming." Nivens suggested. "And if you are dreaming, than it doesn't matter if you come with me and explore a bit, yes?"

Alice smiled at his strange reasoning before she accepted his hand.

At once, the world around them fell away. Her bedroom melting and fading just before she began falling. A scream caught in her throat even as Nivens pulled her in against his chest, tucking her safely there with his arms wrapped around her.

"Don't be afraid, Alice." He shouted over the roar of the wind. "I won't let anything bad happen to you!"

Alice squeezed her eyes shut and let herself fall.

The sound of water welcomed Alice back to the waking world. She opened her eyes slowly, breathing through her nose as she stared up at a sky filled with dark grey clouds.

"That could've gone better." A voice nearby said.

Alice turned her head, eyes fixing on the rabbit ears. She hadn't imagined it… unless she was having the sort of dream where one wakes to another dream. The thought was unpleasant, but no more so than the thought of this not being a dream.

"Are you alright?" Nivens asked as he picked himself up off the ground, dusting off his pants and the front of his coat.

Alice pushed herself up off the ground. She had expected to feel pain from the landing, but only felt a minor ache in her back from where a rock had been sticking her. "I think so?" she answered.

Nivens stepped forward and offered her his hand. "I'm glad to hear it." He smiled.

Alice stared at the offered hand before reminding herself that this was just a dream, and obviously she wasn't going to be waking up until she saw the whole thing through. She accepted his hand and got to her feet, frowning when she realized that she was still wearing her school uniform.

The back of her navy blue skirt was wet from the ground, along with her white blouse. She'd had a headband in that she didn't remember taking out, but it seemed long gone now; her blonde hair left to fall into her face.

Nivens glanced up and down at her, a subtle gesture but one that made Alice very conscious of herself. "We'll have to get you new clothes." He said, more to himself than her, "you'll stand out too much in these."

Alice glanced down, "so everyone here dresses like you?" she asked, her lips quirking.

Nivens' eyes widened before he shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not. I… I work for the Queen." He didn't smile at that, his eyes actually seemed dull before he looked away from her, towards the forest to his right. "My Role requires me to bring you here to Underland, Alice." He added, "but I cannot protect you should anything happen once you are here."

"Why not?" Alice demanded, "You said you wouldn't let anything happen to me."

"My Role," Nivens said again. "I cannot go against my Role, no matter how much I wish I could."

"You've said that a couple times now, but I don't think I understand." Alice frowned at him.

"My Role is that of the White Rabbit, that is my title in this world and what my purpose is in this life." Nivens sighed. "Roles are those who are born with memories of the last one to hold the Role. Our job is to ensure that the wheel keeps turning the way it is meant to turn."

"You mean Fate?"

"If that is what you'd like to call it, then yes, fate. We are pawns of the Fates and we have no choice but to play our part in this story."

Alice felt like someone had dropped an ice cube down her back. "So…" she trailed off, "Why am I here?"

"You are Alice," Nivens smiled at her, his face brightening. "The Alice, I should say. You, like me, have a role to play in this world… if you are the right Alice, you will be the final key to the next turn of the wheel. If you are the wrong one… well, it doesn't matter." He smiled again. "I can only see you this far, Alice. I leave you here, and from here you'll discover all that you need to make your choices."

"Wait, you're leaving me here!" Alice's eyes widened.

Nivens nodded and reached into his pocket. "There is a path through the woods, it'll take you to a small fishing village. They are used to visitors… they'll lend you supplies and new clothes. Accept the clothes, you'll need them if you wish to survive beyond the first day here." He pulled a glass orb from the pocket and tossed it up and down in his hand. "Good luck, Alice… and… try not to die before I see you again." The orb fell from his hand and shattered on the ground. A pink mist swirled up from the broken ball and spiraled around him until he vanished complete.

When the mist cleared – Nivens was gone.

Alice wasn't sure how long she stood there staring at the place where he had stood, but finally she shook herself, feeling cold and uncomfortable in her damp clothes. Looking back towards the forest, she saw the path Nivens had indicated and started towards it, her feet feeling heavy as she tried not to panic.

 _It's only a dream,_ she repeated inside her bed, but even she was having a hard time believing that when her bare feet kept finding every sharp stone on the beach.

Reaching the path through the forest, Alice risked a glance over her shoulder towards the ocean, the water was an aqua color, and for a moment it seemed to reflect her bedroom. Her soft bed with its annoyingly bright pink sheets and frilly pillow cases, the stuffed animals left lying around the room, and the two large bookshelves filled and overflowing with the books her sister had been sending her over the last two years.

Alice felt tears stinging her eyes.

She wanted to go home.

She wanted to wake up from this dream and go home now.

End of Chapter One.  
Chapter Two coming soon J


	2. Chapter 2

" _The secret, Alice, is that it doesn't matter how brave you are if you get killed. Better to be a coward and live to see tomorrow than be remembered only in stories and song."  
-Chesshur_

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Chapter two,

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As a whole, Alice didn't think the day could really get any worse. Her feet ached, her tongue felt like it was stuck to the roof of her mouth, and the air had gone from being cool and crisp to hot and muggy. Her hair was now sticking to her forehead while her school shirt clung to her skin in an unpleasant way.

"Never listening to guys with rabbit ears again," Alice said under her breath, "dream or no dream, they're jackasses, that's what they are!' she continued to rant as she walked down the pathway through the trees.

Thankfully the path was relatively clear of any rocks or twigs, saving her bare feet from any true hazards. Alice honestly didn't want to think about what would happen out here if she got injured. If this was a dream, which she was now beginning to question thanks to the pains shooting up her entire body, than it was the type where she actually felt pain.

The sound of running water jarred Alice from her thoughts and made her pause, eyes opening a little wider as she took in the sight just beyond the tree-line.

A roaring river blocked the path ahead, only a few thin lines of rope stretched across it.

"Nope." Alice folded her arms against her chest, "Nope, I don't even care. I'm not crossing that thing…" she turned to go back the way she had come, only to find herself facing two men wearing matching uniforms and confused expressions.

Alice let out a shriek of surprise as she pin-wheeled her arms and tried not to fall on her ass.

"Oi, what are you making such a fuss about?" The one on the left demanded.

"You're hurting my ears, that's what you're doing!" The one on the right complained as he stuck his finger into his ear. "Uh, girls…" he shook his head in obvious disgust, "Queen ought to do away with all them screaming girls and leave the nice proper ones." He added.

His twin, because Alice could tell they were obviously twins now that she looked closer, let out a loud laugh. "The proper ones who don't go wandering the woods with bare feet." He added as he looked down at her feet, and then back up at her face. "Name?"

"That's rude." Alice blurted out. "You scare me and then demand my name without giving me yours?"

"You're the one who is the stranger here!" The one on the left snapped, "You've no right to be demanding anything of us when you just raised enough of a fuss to bring the whole of the Card guards down on us!"

"Card Guards?" Alice said in a smaller voice.

"She's broken." The right one said with a shake of his head. "Cracked in the head, must be it."

"I'm not crazy!" Alice folded her arms against her chest. Honestly, she was beginning to question how honest an answer that really was, given that she was standing in the woods talking to two strange guys wearing matching clothes, matching faces, and even their hair styled exactly the same. The only thing different about them were the earrings, which were the same but worn on different ears.

"Dee," The one on the left said suddenly, "My name is Tweedle Dee. My brother over there with the foul mouth is Tweedle Dum." He stepped forward with a sigh and extended his hand. "Now, what's your name, miss?"

"Alice." Alice answered with a sigh, "My name is Alice Liddell."

Both men froze at her name.

"The Alice?" Dum said in a small voice.

"Impossible… I watched our Alice die, and that was only a few months ago…" he shook his head, "Overland time is different, but not that different, not enough for an Alice to be born and grow up into a woman."

Alice frowned. "Everything you just said went way over my head. Look, all I know is the guy with the rabbit ears showed up in my room and dragged me here… and then abandoned me, which was a really shitty thing to do if you're wondering."

"We weren't," Dum snorted, "but glad to know your opinions on the Rabbit."

"The White Rabbit," Alice, remembering what he had called himself.

"Nivens," Dee nodded, "Yeah, we know him. He's a traitor to everything he once stood for." He snorted and shook his head. "He brought the last one, did he tell you about that before he brought you here?"

"He didn't tell me a damn thing." Alice said, feeling a chill go down her spine. "Like I said, he dropped me and ran, telling me to go to the village and find some new clothes because I stand out."

"The village is overrun," Dum said quietly, "If you'd made there, you'd have been killed on sight."

Alice's eyes widened, "What kind of place is this?" she demanded.

"The sort that kills girls like you before they become a problem." Dee shook his head. "We're not able to help you, Alice, it's not our place. We're just pawns… you need knights."

"This isn't a game of Chess," Alice said heatedly.

"Yes, actually it is…" Dee looked over his shoulder for a second. "The Hatter," he said finally, "He'll help."

"He's mad." Dum hissed, "Dee, he went mad after the last one died, you know he's useless now."

"What choice do we have, brother?" Dee demanded, "We leave and she dies… we get her to Hatter and the blood is on his crazy hands, not ours." He rubbed his hands along his coat. "Come with us." He held his hand out to her. "We're not promising to protect you, but we'll get you to someone who might just be able to keep you alive."

"Or might kill me himself?" Alice asked.

"The Hatter…" Dee chewed his bottom lip. "The Hatter was a good man, a great man maybe… but after you lose everything… you haven't got much left, and it shows with him. He's given up, and now he sits and waits for the Queen's blade to end his life and give him another chance to do right by… everyone he's failed."

"Failed?" Alice blinked.

"That's a long story… walk and we'll talk." Dee motioned for her to come closer again.

Alice sighed and finally stepped forward, taking the hand he now offered to her. "Alright, I'll trust you." She said at last.

"Good girl," Dee said, somewhat fondly. "You remind me of someone I once knew." He said quietly. "She was a lot like you… but then… most of them are."

"I don't really understand any of this, if I'm being honest."

"Honestly, I don't think anyone besides the lore keepers really understand it anymore. Most of us just live it out until we die, and then we do it all over again." Dum said, his voice rough as they headed back down the path Alice had just come from.

"How do you mean?"

"How do I mean?" Dum fixed her with a look. "I mean that Dee and I are Role Holders." He shrugged.

"That doesn't tell her anything, you idiot." Dee shook his head, "Sorry, Miss Alice, we're used to people already knowing what we are." He shrugged helplessly. "Role Holders are… it's difficult to explain it. See, most people when they die go to Avalon, the land of the dead. Role Holders aren't allowed that… when we die, the spirit inside of us is reborn as another, and begin our lives anew until our memories become active again. We don't get all the memories, just the important ones… but from the moment they become active, we're pawns in the war."

"You'd think Nivens might have mentioned that this place was in the middle of war." Alice said quietly.

"Would you have come willingly?" Dum asked, "if you'd known how bad it was?"

"It's his role to find you." Dee added, "The White Rabbit is the gatekeeper for this world. None can enter without him first opening the gate… and he's also the only role holder who can locate an Alice."

"So because I was named Alice, I'm something special?" Alice's eyebrow rose.

"No, you could be named pretty anything… it's this that matters." Dee reached up with his free hand and tapped her forehead. "You have to be connected to this world in order to be our Alice. I don't rightly understand it myself, but I know that there's been a couple girls who weren't named Alice but acted as ours."

"What happened to… the others?" Alice asked in a small voice.

"They died." Dum answered before his brother could. "Every single one of them for the last two hundred years has died."

Alice froze in the middle of the path. "What?" she looked at Dee, her eyes wide.

Dee turned slowly to look at his brother. "You had to say that didn't you?" he hissed.

"She had a right to know that she's screwed." Dum shrugged, "Miss Alice, honestly it's a formality that we're seeing you to the hatter. He's useless now, and the ones who serve him fight a losing battle. The Queen is too powerful, the game is lost for good… and you're going to die here."

Alice's head was spinning. "I don't want to die." She blurted out. "I want to go home!"

"You can't." Dee sighed. "You can't go home until the Queen is dead. The door locked after you came through, and it can't be opened without a potion made from her blood… it's the way things are done."

"You've got to be kidding me…" Alice sank down to the ground, feeling sick. "this is a dream… this has to be a dream." Her shoulders began shaking. "I want to go home!"

Dee knelt down and put his arms carefully around her shoulders. "Alice… don't listen to what Dum said, his name fits him too well sometimes. The Queen is powerful, yes, but nothing in life is unbeatable. You might win, you might have something the others didn't…" he cupped her face in his big hands, tilting her head back. "Don't give up just because something sounds hard… just do your best."

"But why?" Alice asked in a small voice. "If Dum thinks I'm going to die, doesn't that mean everyone else thinks that, too?"

"Only those who've lost hope." Dee closed his eyes. "I'm just a pawn in this game, my role isn't important… but for what it's worth, I hope you win. I hope you live and you can go home to your family… and when you go back, this will have been just a very, very strange dream." He smiled kindly.

"But I'm just me… I'm not able to… kill someone…" Alice shuddered at the thought.

"The role of the Alice is to gather her knights around her and choose which Queen she wishes to serve. You don't have to kill her, the role can fall to one of your knights." Dee smiled. "You simply have to support them and give them courage."

Alice swallowed, hard. "You think this Hatter might help me?"

"If anyone can, he can." Dee slowly got back to his feet, helping Alice stand. "Come on. It'll be night soon and the last thing we want is to be caught unawares in the dark. The portal opening is a trigger… let's not get caught in the path of the bullet."

At some point, Alice's legs finally gave out and Dee hauled her up onto his back. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and slept, her dreams vivid and strange. She imagined a battlefield of cards, which was quickly washed away in a river of blood.

The nightmare shook her back to the waking world just as they rounded a corner in the overgrown path and came out into an open field. In the distance, glowing merrily in the night, was a small cottage with a white picket fence surrounding it.

"He's gone soft." Dee said quietly, "That's a right pretty house though."

"He's gone mad." Dum answered, "This place is just asking for the guards to burn it down… you'd think after the last that he'd be a bit more careful about that."

"Apparently our last selves died for nothing." Dee grumbled, "come on. Sooner we drop the little princess of with him, the sooner we can run for cover and try to survive this cycle."

"You think she has a chance?" Dum asked.

"As good a chance any of them have. The game used to be fair… the other Queen used to win before her sister stacked the odds in her favor… maybe Nivens cheated this time and picked someone who'll win us this war finally."

"Peace would be nice." Dum agreed.

"It would."

They trailed off into silence as they walked across the field.

Alice closed her eyes at some point, and didn't open them again until she heard the sound of the gate squeaking open. The sound of the twins boots on the cobblestone path made her fully open her eyes and lift her head, just as the front door of the cottage opened.

"What are you two doing here?" A voice demanded.

"If it isn't the rat…" Dee sighed, "Taking care of your hatter still?"

"None of your damn business, thing one."

Alice looked at the woman standing in the doorway. She was a lovely woman, short, with a pixie nose and white hair that stuck out in all directions. She wore a red coat, the same style as the one's the twins wore, and tan colored leggings. A sword hung from her waist, her hand resting on the hilt.

"I'm so hurt," Dee sounded amused. "We brought you a gift."

"You brought a girl, that's hardly a gift." The woman snapped.

"You wound us, Mallymkun." Dum laughed, "We brought you an Alice."

"You did what…" Her voice cracked, "Oh you've got to be shitting me right now… why on earth did you bring her here!" she shouted, "You know he can't do anything… he hasn't spoken a single word since the last girl died."

"Not our problem." Dum said as he shook Alice a bit, "Wake up, Princess, this is the last stop for you." He set her down on the front step and moved behind her, giving her a little shove towards the woman in the doorway. "She's your problem now, Rat."

"You can't be serious… this is what they send us…" The woman's vivid blue eyes fixed on Alice's face. "This… is what is supposed to save us… oh it's a damn good thing I gave up on the Fates years ago." She shook her head in disgust. "Well, don't just stand there, come inside."

Alice glanced back at the twins who motioned for her to follow the blonde woman inside. She bit her bottom lip before she took the first step across the threshold.

"Shut the door," The woman called, "You'll the draft in."

Alice closed it and quickly followed the woman into a very homely looking kitchen.

"Tea?" The woman asked.

"Uh… yes please." Alice said quietly.

"Don't be a mouse." The woman instructed. "It'll get you nowhere in this world. Say what you want, and mean it." She poured some water into a kettle and brought it to the stove. "My name is Mallymkun, I'm the Dormouse of this cycle. I'd say it's a pleasure to meet you, but I wouldn't mean it so it'd rather pointless to lie to you."

Alice's lips twitched. "Nice to find someone who's honest… those two lied about pretty much everything." She swallowed, "not as bad as the rabbit guy though."

Mallymkun turned to look at her, "White ears?" she asked.

Alice nodded.

"Nivens." Mallymkun sighed and shook her head. "He used to be an okay guy… back before all this started going on. Now, I think I'd knock him on his ass if he ever showed his face around us again."

"Well, you're in a mood tonight, Mals."

"Don't you start, Earwicket!" Mallymkun turned to face the tall man who had just appeared in the kitchen doorway.

Alice edged back from him, stunned by how tall he was. He loomed over her, and his somewhat friendly smile did nothing to help put her at ease. Granted, the teal colored rabbit ears framing his face were… adorable in a strange way.

Alice rubbed her hands awkwardly on her dirty skirt.

The man glanced over at her for a long moment, his eyes were mismatched, green and purple. "Who's this?" he asked.

"Alice." Mallymkun answered, "The twins dropped her on our doorstep and I figured it'd be better to bring her inside before all the guards descended on us to kill her."

Alice shuddered.

"Oh fuck." The man reached up and tugged at the end of one of his ears. "I thought we'd agreed to stay out of this?" he said to Mallymkun.

"We did, but apparently the fates are laughing their asses off at us." Mallymkun pulled the kettle from the burner when it started to steam and grabbed a jar from a shelf near the stove. "I'm making a calming blend." She told Alice, "It'll help you calm down after all the shocks I'm sure you've had today."

"Yeah, I think I could use it." Alice admitted as she leaned back against a cabinet behind her. "This day has been all sorts of insane."

"The grumpy guy is Thackery by the way," Mallymkun said, jerking her thumb towards the rabbit eared guy. "Usually he's not half bad, but yeah." She shrugged.

Alice smiled faintly, "Alice Liddell," she said to him, weakly offering him her hand. "Nice to meet you."

Thackery let out a long sigh before he stepped forward and shook her hand. "Thackery Earwicket, March Hare for this cycle." He introduced.

"This cycle… the twins said something like that…" Alice yawned.

"Cycle means the current group of role holders." Thackery explained kindly. "We're mostly the same as when the cycle started. It won't end until either the Queen dies and a new one takes her place, or all current role holders bite the dust."

"Pleasant world…" Alice shook her head and turned her attention back towards the woman. "That smells amazing." She added.

Mallymkun flashed her a smile. "It's Tarrant's blend of tea." She explained, "He came up with it after many, many sleepless nights after battles. If he ever decides to show his face, you'll have to thank him."

"Don't tease," Thackery warned, "Tarrant's… doing as best as he can."

"You coddle him." Mallymkun said over her shoulder as she dropped a round ball into the mug of hot water and waited. "No good is going to come from babying him the way you have been. Eventually he's going to have to get up and move forward."

"He loved her." Thackery snapped, "How do you think I'd be if I lost you?"

Mallymkun shrugged, "You'd survive, that's what we're meant to do. And look," she turned and pointed at Alice, "Just like always, a pretty new replacement has shown up to take the old one's place."

"You know replacements aren't the same." Thackery sounded tired, and Alice had a feeling this was a fight they must have had often.

"Well, be that as it may, Tarrant's the leader of our band of misfits, and he needs to get up off his ass eventually." Mallymkun pulled the chain attached to the ball out of the tea and set it aside. "Come on, there's a sitting area over here." She motioned for Alice to follow her out onto the porch. "It's a nice night for this." She added.

"Tea party," Alice said quietly.

Mallymkun turned to look at her. "Funny… I can't actually remember the last time we had one… we used to have them with our last Alice. She was a good girl, bright and clever." There was a fondness in the woman's voice as she motioned for Alice to have a seat in one of the plush chairs circling a coffee table. "We got rid of the big table after she died."

"How'd she die?" Alice asked as she accepted the mug of tea from Mallymkun.

"She was captured by the Knave of Hearts and put on trial…"

"Trial isn't the right word for what it is." Thackery said as he sat down in the chair beside Alice. "it's a mockery of a trial. It's really just a chance for the Queen to show everyone that she won against the Alice, and then…"

"Off with her head." Mallymkun shook her head sadly. "I tried to get Tarrant to leave the Capitol, to not watch that… but he was with her to the very end… damn fool is what he is."

"Love makes all of us foolish." Thackery said quietly.

Mallymkun glanced across at him and sighed, "Like I said… damn fool."

Alice knew she wasn't talking about the man named Tarrant just then. Deciding it was none of her business, Alice took a sip of the tea. Instantly she felt calmer and more at ease. She settled back against the chair and closed her eyes for a second.

Someone took the mug from her hands.

"You made it too strong," Thackery chided.

Mallymkun let out a quiet laugh. "No, I think our poor Alice has just had too busy a day… sleep will do her a world of good." She added.

Thackery sighed and Alice felt something being draped across her.

"Do you want to tell him or should I?"

"I'll do it."

Alice sank further into the blackness, hoping her dreams stayed calm.


End file.
